1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a column oven for controlling a temperature of an analytical column of a liquid chromatograph to a predetermined temperature.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid chromatograph analytical system is provided with a column oven for controlling, to a predetermined temperature, an analytical column for separating a sample into components. The column oven includes a thermally conductive column holding member for holding the analytical column, and controls the temperature of the analytical column by transferring heat from a heater to the analytical column via the column holding member.
Analytical columns of various outer diameters exist. Therefore, the column holding member of a conventional common column oven has a cross-sectionally V shaped groove which is opened at the top so as to be able to cope with various types of analytical columns, and sandwiches and holds an analytical column in the groove (see JP 2000-111536 A).
The structure as described above of sandwiching and holding an analytical column in a V-shaped groove of a column holding member has an advantage that it can cope with analytical columns of various diameters, but it also has disadvantages that there will be a large gap between the inner side wall of the V-shaped groove and an analytical column and that the area of the opening of the V-shaped groove is large. Due to these disadvantages, desirable heat transfer efficiency is not obtained between the column holding member and an analytical column, and the amount of heat released by the column holding member is increased. If the efficiency of heat transfer from the column holding member to an analytical column is low, there are issues that it takes a long time for the analytical column to reach a target temperature, and also that, since the amount of heat released by the column holding member is great, the temperature distribution of the analytical column becomes uneven.